It's the second-highest debut among all U.K. acts, outpaced only by Elton John's No. 1 arrival in 1997 with "Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight." The Princess Diana tribute single spent 14 weeks at No. 1.

In the Hot 100's history, only 13 songs by a U.K. act have debuted in the top 10. Further, this week marks the first time two U.K. artists have simultaneously started in the top 10, as Adele's "Skyfall" debuts at No. 8 (her highest bow ever). The last time any U.K. act started in the top 10 was on May 7, 2005, when Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" soared in at No. 8.

"Live While We're Young" (SYCO/Columbia) sold 341,000 downloads in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and also bows at No. 1 on Digital Songs. (The huge sales spur its high entry on the Hot 100, which blends sales, airplay and streaming data.)

"Live While We're Young's" sales launch is the third biggest debut ever for a download by a group, surpassed by the arrivals of Maroon 5's "Payphone" earlier this year (493,000) and the Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" in 2009 (465,000).

On the Hot 100, "Live While We're Young" also becomes the act's biggest hit ever, passing up the No. 4 peak of "What Makes You Beautiful" earlier this year. "Live While We're Young" is the lead single from the group's upcoming second album, "Take Me Home," due out Nov. 13.

One Direction comprises Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. All of the group hails from England, save for Horan, who is from Ireland.